Patient Education
We invite you to explore our comprehensive list of resources and educational materials designed to help educate you about the various medical conditions treated by our Miami, Florida bariatric and general surgery practice. Simply click on a topic below to learn more.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding your condition or treatment, please feel free to contact Dr. Whittwell and his surgical staff at (305) 665-0100. To request an appointment, use our secure online appointment request form.
This information is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It should not be used in place of an individual consultation, examination or the medical advice of your doctor. This information should not be relied upon to determine a diagnosis or course of treatment.
Bariatric Surgery A-Z
Find Educational Topics
OR use our A-Z listing of topics below:
Did You Know?
Weight loss surgery can be lifesaving for some people who have a lot of weight to lose and need more than diet and exercise. Depending on the operation, they often lose 30% to 50% of their extra weight within 6 months.
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Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is a type of eating disorder. People with eating disorders have problems with their eating behavior, thoughts, and emotions. They have a distorted body image and attempt to control their weight by controlling their food intake. People ... Read More
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Balanced Diet and Nutrition
The food that you eat can directly affect your health. As Americans are facing higher rates of obesity, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease, it is more important than ever to make sure that you and your family are eating a ... Read More
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Bulimia
Bulimia is a type of eating disorder. People with eating disorders have problems with their eating behavior, thoughts, and emotions. They have a distorted body image and attempt to control their weight by controlling their food intake. People with bulimia ... Read More
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Compulsive Overeating
Compulsive overeating is a disorder of eating behaviors. People who compulsively overeat will continuously eat throughout the day or experience repeated episodes of consuming very large amounts of food. They are most frequently overweight and males. Compulsive overeating can lead ... Read More
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Da Vinci Robotic Surgery
IntroductionRobotic surgery with the da Vinci® Surgical System allows surgery to be performed with smaller incisions compared to traditional open surgery. By making only a few tiny incisions, patients benefit from having less pain, less scarring, less bleeding, and less ... Read More
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Diabetes - Type 2 & Pre-Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes, also known as non-insulin dependent diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. Diabetes is a disease that affects how the body uses glucose, a sugar that is a source of fuel. Normally, the hormone insulin helps ... Read More
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Enlarged Prostate (BPH)
An enlarged prostate gland is a very common condition. The prostate is a golf ball sized gland in men. It is located underneath the bladder and in front of the rectum. It is very common for a prostate gland to ... Read More
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Gallbladder Disease/Gallstones
Gallbladder disease is caused by conditions that slow or block the flow of bile from the gallbladder. Bile is a fluid that breaks down fat during the digestive process. Inflammation or gallstones can block the bile flow. Gallstones are solid ... Read More
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Gas and Bloating
Gas symptoms occur daily as part of your normal digestive process. Belching, burping, and passing gas (flatulence) eliminates gas from your digestive tract. Excess gas can cause discomfort, pain, and bloating. Gas symptoms are produced by swallowed air and the breakdown ... Read More
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Gastric Banding
Obesity is a growing nationwide epidemic. Obesity is associated with serious health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Doctors may recommend the gastric banding weight loss surgery for people that are very obese and have not lost ... Read More
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GERD (Reflux)
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is a digestive condition. It is also called Peptic Esophagitis and Reflux Esophagitis. GERD results when stomach contents and stomach acids enter the esophagus. The esophagus is the tube that transfers food from your throat to ... Read More
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Heart Attack - Myocardial Infarction (MI)
A heart attack is a life-threatening emergency condition. Heart attack, medically termed myocardial infarction (MI), is the leading cause of death for men and women. A heart attack occurs when the heart muscle does not receive enough oxygenated blood and ... Read More
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Heart Disease
Heart disease, also called cardiovascular disease, is a common problem in the United States. It occurs when the heart and blood vessels do not function properly. The most common cause is narrowing or blockage of the arteries that supply blood ... Read More
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Hiatal Hernia
A hiatal hernia occurs when part of the stomach protrudes through the diaphragm, the muscle inside of the chest wall. A hiatal hernia may cause no symptoms. However, symptoms can occur from the back up of stomach acids, air, or ... Read More
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High Blood Pressure - Hypertension (HTN)
High blood pressure, or hypertension (HTN), is a common condition in the United States. High blood pressure is termed a “silent killer” because it usually does not have symptoms but can cause significant cardiovascular and organ damage. The only way to know ... Read More
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High Cholesterol - Dyslipidemia
High cholesterol occurs when there is too much or an unhealthy balance of cholesterol in the blood. Your body needs some cholesterol for healthy functioning but too much is dangerous to your health. High cholesterol has no symptoms. The only ... Read More
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Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism is a condition that most often occurs when the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormone. Your thyroid gland is located at the front of your neck. Thyroid hormones regulate your body metabolism. Metabolism refers to all of ... Read More
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Indigestion
Indigestion is a common condition and affects people of all ages. Indigestion can occur for many reasons. Cigarette smoking and the consumption of certain foods, medications, and alcohol can contribute to indigestion. Indigestion can be a symptom of stress. Some ... Read More
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Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a very common gastrointestinal (GI) disorder. It is also referred to as nervous indigestion, spastic colon, and functional bowel disease. IBS is defined by the symptoms of abdominal pain and diarrhea or constipation for a prolonged ... Read More
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Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass
Laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery is a procedure that is used to help people with significant obesity lose weight. The surgery reduces the size of the stomach and reroutes the small intestine. As a result, people feel full sooner and eat ... Read More
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Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is a term used to describe the combined effects of several conditions that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. The conditions include high blood pressure, resistance to insulin, abnormal cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and obesity ... Read More
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Obesity & Sleep: Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome (OHS)
People with significant obesity are at risk for developing obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS). OHS results when the body does not receive enough oxygen and does not eliminate enough carbon dioxide while breathing during sleep. OHS can cause extreme daytime sleepiness ... Read More
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Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a common and under-diagnosed sleep disorder. It causes repeated episodes of stopped breathing (apneic episodes) and startling or gasping for air during sleep. People with sleep apnea frequently do not realize that they have it. The consequences ... Read More
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Stroke - CVA
A stroke or a “brain attack” is an emergency medical condition. It occurs when the blood supply to the brain is stopped or reduced for a period of time. Your brain controls the life sustaining functions of your body. It ... Read More
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Weight Loss Surgery: An Overview
Weight loss surgery may be recommended for people that are extremely obese and have medical conditions that may improve with weight loss. Severe obesity is referred to as "morbid obesity" because it is associated with health problems that are considered ... Read More
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Weight Management
Weighing too much or too little can be a problem. In the United States, weighing too much is the more common situation. It can be unhealthy to be underweight or overweight. Of growing concern, many Americans are becoming obese, which ... Read More
Copyright © - iHealthSpot Interactive - www.iHealthSpot.com
This information is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It should not be used in place of an individual consultation or examination or replace the advice of your health care professional and should not be relied upon to determine diagnosis or course of treatment.
The iHealthSpot patient education library was written collaboratively by the iHealthSpot editorial team which includes Senior Medical Authors Dr. Mary Car-Blanchard, OTD/OTR/L and Valerie K. Clark, and the following editorial advisors: Steve Meadows, MD, Ernie F. Soto, DDS, Ronald J. Glatzer, MD, Jonathan Rosenberg, MD, Christopher M. Nolte, MD, David Applebaum, MD, Jonathan M. Tarrash, MD, and Paula Soto, RN/BSN. This content complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information. The library commenced development on September 1, 2005 with the latest update/addition on February 16, 2022. For information on iHealthSpot’s other services including medical website design, visit www.iHealthSpot.com.
